U.S. patent number 11,247,582 [Application Number 16/839,372] was granted by the patent office on 2022-02-15 for control electronics for a battery system, method for power supplying control electronics for a battery system, battery system and vehicle.
This patent grant is currently assigned to SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.. The grantee listed for this patent is Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Maximilian Hofer.
United States Patent |
11,247,582 |
Hofer |
February 15, 2022 |
Control electronics for a battery system, method for power
supplying control electronics for a battery system, battery system
and vehicle
Abstract
Control electronics for a battery system of a vehicle with a low
voltage battery include a first direct current to direct current
(DC/DC) converter including a first input terminal configured to be
connected to the battery system, and an output terminal connected
to a microcontroller, a wake-up circuit including a low voltage sub
circuit and a sub circuit on a high voltage side that are
galvanically isolated, and a second DC/DC converter including an
input terminal configured to be connected to the low voltage
battery, and an output terminal connected to the wake-up circuit,
wherein the low voltage sub circuit is configured to transmit
electrical energy received from the second DC/DC converter to the
sub circuit on the high voltage side, and wherein the sub circuit
on the high voltage side is configured to receive electrical energy
from the low voltage sub circuit and to transmit the electrical
energy to the first DC/DC converter.
Inventors: |
Hofer; Maximilian (Hartberg,
AT) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. |
Yongin-si |
N/A |
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.
(Yongin-si, KR)
|
Family
ID: |
1000006117464 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/839,372 |
Filed: |
April 3, 2020 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20200317085 A1 |
Oct 8, 2020 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 8, 2019 [EP] |
|
|
19167789 |
Mar 31, 2020 [KR] |
|
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10-2020-0039258 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60L
58/20 (20190201); B60L 53/22 (20190201); H02J
7/0024 (20130101); B60L 50/66 (20190201); B60K
6/28 (20130101); B60Y 2200/91 (20130101); B60L
2210/30 (20130101); B60Y 2200/92 (20130101); B60L
2210/42 (20130101); H02J 2207/20 (20200101); B60L
2210/14 (20130101); B60L 2210/12 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60L
58/20 (20190101); H02J 7/00 (20060101); B60L
50/60 (20190101); B60L 53/22 (20190101); B60K
6/28 (20071001) |
Field of
Search: |
;320/107 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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104638724 |
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May 2015 |
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CN |
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1 494 332 |
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Jan 2005 |
|
EP |
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2 574 494 |
|
Apr 2013 |
|
EP |
|
3 360 719 |
|
Aug 2018 |
|
EP |
|
10-2006-0108149 |
|
Oct 2006 |
|
KR |
|
10-2018-0057191 |
|
May 2018 |
|
KR |
|
10-2018-0088245 |
|
Aug 2018 |
|
KR |
|
Other References
Extended European Search Report issued in European Patent
19167789.7 dated Oct. 18, 2019, 8 pages. cited by applicant .
EP Office action issued in corresponding application No. EP 19 167
789.7, dated Jun. 8, 2021, 4 pages. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Lin; Sun J
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie
LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Control electronics for a battery system of a vehicle with a low
voltage battery, the control electronics comprising: a first direct
current to direct current (DC/DC) converter comprising a first
input terminal configured to be connected to the battery system,
and an output terminal connected to a microcontroller that is
configured to control the first DC/DC converter; a wake-up circuit
comprising a low voltage sub circuit on a low voltage side and a
sub circuit on a high voltage side that are galvanically isolated
from each other via a transformer or at least one capacitor; and a
second DC/DC converter comprising an input terminal configured to
be connected to the low voltage battery, and an output terminal
connected to the wake-up circuit; wherein the low voltage sub
circuit on the low voltage side is configured to transmit
electrical energy received from the second DC/DC converter to the
sub circuit on the high voltage side in response to a wake-up
signal received from the second DC/DC converter at a signal input
of the low voltage sub circuit, and wherein the sub circuit on the
high voltage side is configured to receive the electrical energy
from the low voltage sub circuit and to transmit the received
electrical energy to the first DC/DC converter.
2. The control electronics of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller
is further configured to perform at least one control function with
respect to the battery system.
3. The control electronics of claim 1, wherein the first DC/DC
converter is configured to generate a supply voltage for supply to
the microcontroller based on an output voltage VDD.sub.HV of the
battery system.
4. The control electronics of claim 1, wherein the wake-up circuit
comprises an isolated DC/DC converter.
5. The control electronics of claim 1, wherein the low voltage sub
circuit comprises: an input stage configured to receive an input
voltage from the second DC/DC converter; and a direct current to
alternating current (DC/AC) inverter configured to receive the
input voltage from the input stage and to output an AC voltage to a
first electrode of the at least one capacitor, and wherein the sub
circuit on the high voltage side comprises: an alternating current
to direct current (AC/DC) rectifier configured to receive an AC
voltage from a second electrode of the at least one capacitor and
to output a DC voltage; and an output stage configured to output
the DC voltage received from the AC/DC rectifier to a switching
input of the first DC/DC converter.
6. The control electronics of claim 1, wherein the sub circuit on
the high voltage side is further configured to generate a pulse
width modulation (PWM) signal for controlling the first DC/DC
converter from the electrical energy received from the low voltage
sub circuit.
7. The control electronics of claim 1, further comprising a system
basis chip interconnected between the first DC/DC converter and the
microcontroller.
8. The control electronics of claim 1, further comprising a
controller area network (CAN) transceiver configured to receive
electrical energy from the output terminal of the second DC/DC
converter, the CAN transceiver being connected to a CAN bus and
connected to the microcontroller via a CAN interface.
9. The control electronics of claim 1, further comprising a real
time clock (RTC) configured to receive power from the second DC/DC
converter and connected to the microcontroller via a serial
peripheral interface (SPI).
10. A method for supplying power to the control electronics of
claim 1, the method comprising: in an active mode of the
microcontroller: supplying the microcontroller with a supply
voltage generated by the first DC/DC converter based on an output
voltage of the battery system; and controlling the first DC/DC
converter via the microcontroller, and in a sleep mode of the
microcontroller: supplying the low voltage sub circuit with an
input voltage generated by the second DC/DC converter based on an
output voltage of the low voltage battery; transmitting electrical
energy from the low voltage sub circuit to the sub circuit on the
high voltage side in response to a wake-up signal received by the
low voltage sub circuit; and controlling the first DC/DC converter
via the sub circuit on the high voltage side for waking up the
microcontroller.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein, in the sleep mode of the
microcontroller, a CAN transceiver and/or a real time clock (RTC)
are configured to receive power from the second DC/DC converter and
a power consumption of the first DC/DC converter is substantially
zero.
12. A battery system comprising: a plurality of battery cells
connected in series and/or in parallel between a ground node and a
voltage supply node; and the control electronics according to claim
1, wherein the first input terminal of the first DC/DC converter is
connected to the voltage supply node.
13. The battery system of claim 12, wherein the microcontroller is
configured to perform at least one control function with respect to
at least one of the plurality of battery cells.
14. A vehicle comprising: the low voltage battery and the battery
system according to claim 12, wherein the input terminal of the
second DC/DC converter is connected to the low voltage battery.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority to and the benefit of European
Patent Application No. 19167789.7, filed in the European Patent
Office on Apr. 8, 2019, and Korean Patent Application No.
10-2020-0039258, filed on Mar. 31, 2020, the entire contents of
both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. FIELD
Aspects of the present invention relate to control electronics for
a battery system.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
A rechargeable or secondary battery differs from a primary battery
in that it can be repeatedly charged and discharged, while the
primary battery provides only an irreversible conversion of
chemical to electrical energy. Low-capacity rechargeable batteries
are used as power supplies for small electronic devices, such as
cellular phones, notebook computers and camcorders, while
high-capacity rechargeable batteries are used as power supplies for
hybrid vehicles and the like.
In general, rechargeable batteries include an electrode assembly
including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a
separator interposed between the positive and negative electrodes,
a case receiving the electrode assembly, and an electrode terminal
electrically connected to the electrode assembly. An electrolyte
solution is injected into the case to enable charging and
discharging of the battery via an electrochemical reaction of the
positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the electrolyte
solution. The shape of the case, which may, for example, be
cylindrical or rectangular, depends on the battery's intended
purpose.
Rechargeable batteries may be used as a battery module formed of a
plurality of unit battery cells coupled in series and/or in
parallel so as to provide a high energy density, for example, for
motor driving of a hybrid vehicle. That is, the battery module is
formed by interconnecting the electrode terminals of the plurality
of unit battery cells depending on a desired amount of power and in
order to realize a high-power rechargeable battery, for example,
for an electric vehicle. One or more battery modules are
mechanically and electrically integrated, equipped with a thermal
management system and set up for communication with one or more
electrical consumers in order to form a battery system.
For meeting the dynamic power demands of various electrical
consumers connected to the battery system a static control of
battery power output and charging is not sufficient. Thus, it is
desired to have steady or intermittent exchange of information
between the battery system and the controllers of the electrical
consumers. This information includes the battery system's actual
state of charge (SoC), potential electrical performance data,
charging ability and internal resistance as well as actual or
predicted power demands or surpluses of the consumers.
For monitoring, controlling, and/or setting of the aforementioned
parameters, a battery system usually includes a battery management
unit (BMU) and/or a battery management system (BMS). Such control
units may be an integral part of the battery system and disposed
within a common housing, or may be part of a remote control unit
communicating with the battery system via a suitable communication
bus. In both cases, the control unit communicates with the
electrical consumers via a suitable communication bus, for example,
a controller area network (CAN) or a serial peripheral interface
(SPI).
The aforementioned control electronics of a battery system, for
example, a battery system manager (BSM), a BMS, a BMU, or a system
basis chip (SBC), can be supplied with power by the battery system
they are controlling. This allows reducing the construction space
of the battery system, as an additional power source for the
control electronics can be omitted. However, depending on the
output voltage (e.g., 48 V) of the battery system (e.g., a high
voltage battery system), regulation of this output voltage may be
desired.
Further, electronic components of vehicles are usually supplied via
an electrical board system operating at a voltage of 12 V. The 12 V
board net might be related to security relevant functions. For
example, an electronic control unit (ECU) of a power steering
system or an ECU of an anti-skid system may be integrated in the 12
V board net. The 12 V board net may include a 12 V battery system,
such as a lead-acid based 12 V battery, that may be charged by a
starter generator.
To make a battery system's control electronics compatible with the
vehicle's electronic components, control electronics may be
operated at a voltage near 12 V. When the battery system is
providing an output voltage higher than 12 V, such as 48 V, and is
supposed to self-supply the BMS and/or BMU, it is desirable for the
output voltage to be regulated.
Also, during idle periods, that is, during periods of minimal power
consumption (e.g., while an electric vehicle is parked), various
parameters, such as battery voltages and internal resistances, are
periodically controlled during wake-up periods to avoid a system
failure, for example, due to a thermal runaway or short circuits of
individual cells. To provide a time scale, for example, for the
wake up of the control electronics, for example, a battery
monitoring unit (BMU) and/or a battery management system (BMS), the
battery system includes a real time clock (RTC).
The RTC is usually provided as integrated circuit (IC) and may
include a crystal oscillator or may use the power line frequency
for deriving the time scale. The RTC is be continuously energized
to keep track of running time and may further include a volatile or
non-volatile memory to keep track of time related information such
as calendar date.
Although, the self-supply of control electronics for a battery
system is desired, particularly in electric cars, the voltage
conversion can amount to significant energy losses. Particularly
during a sleep or idle mode, the energy losses due to voltage
conversion can be as high as or higher than the energy losses due
to controlling or RTC power consumption.
It is thus an aspect of embodiments of the present invention to
overcome or at least reduce the drawbacks of the related art and to
provide a battery system, particularly control electronics for a
battery system, that allows for self-supply of a battery system,
while reducing the power consumption during idle periods of the
battery system and/or sleep mode of the control electronics. It is
further desired that the safety measures be met, that construction
space requirements be small, and that a supply of power to an RTC
be ensured during the lifetime of the battery system.
SUMMARY
One or more of the drawbacks of the related art could be avoided or
at least reduced by means of the present invention.
Aspects of some embodiments of the present invention are directed
to a battery system of a vehicle including a low voltage battery.
The control electronics of the invention are hybrid power-supplied
control electronics.
Aspects of some embodiments of the present invention are further
directed to a method for supplying power to such control
electronics (particularly in a self-supplied manner and in a
vehicle), to a battery system with the control electronics, and to
a vehicle with such a battery system.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, there is provided
control electronics for a battery system that are configured to be
utilized in a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle, that further
includes a low voltage battery. The low voltage battery is a common
starter battery and the battery system may be a high voltage
battery system for motor driving of the vehicle. The control
electronics are configured for being used with an HV battery system
and the low voltage battery by including respective power inputs
nodes for a high voltage and a low voltage.
The control electronics according to embodiments of the present
invention include a first DC/DC converter with a first input node
that is configured to be connected to the battery system, for
example, to a power output node of the battery system, to receive a
high supply voltage from the battery system. The first DC/DC
converter further includes an output node, for example, a power
output node, which is connected to a microcontroller for supplying
power to the microcontroller. The microcontroller is also part of
the control electronics and is configured to control the first
DC/DC converter. In some examples, the microcontroller may be
configured to control the conversion ratio, that is, the ratio
between the input voltage and the output voltage, of the first
DC/DC converter. According to some examples, the first DC/DC
converter may be a buck converter, a boost converter, or a
buck-boost converter, and the microcontroller may be configured to
control the duty cycle of such DC/DC converter. In some examples,
the microcontroller may be configured to transmit a first control
signal to a switching input of the first DC/DC converter. However,
other suitable DC/DC converter types, as recognized by a person of
ordinary skill in the art, may also be used, such as charge pumps
or the like. The microcontroller may be further configured to
perform at least one control function with respect to the battery
system, such as measuring voltages, currents, and/or the like, and
performing active and/or passive balancing.
The control electronics further include a wake-up circuit, which
includes a low voltage sub circuit and a sub circuit on the high
voltage side (e.g., a high voltage sub circuit) that are
galvanically isolated from each other. In other words, the low
voltage sub circuit and the sub circuit on the high voltage side
form a functional unit that is configured to wake up the first
DC/DC converter in response to receiving a wake-up signal as
described in further detail below, while being galvanically
isolated from each other. The galvanic isolation can be realized in
a capacitive or an inductive manner. Without restricting the
present invention's scope of protection, and solely to ease the
understanding, an inductive form of galvanic isolation is described
in more detail in the following. Further, waking up the first DC/DC
converter refers to controlling the first DC/DC converter, for
example, the duty cycle of the first DC/DC converter, for a time
period (e.g., a minimal time period) that allows the first DC/DC
converter to power the microcontroller for a time period that
allows the microcontroller to establish control of the first DC/DC
controller, for example, of the duty cycle thereof.
The control electronics further include a second DC/DC converter
that has an input node that is configured to be connected to the
low voltage battery, for example, to a power output of the low
voltage battery, for receiving a low supply voltage from the low
voltage battery. The second DC/DC converter may further include an
output node that is connected to the wake-up circuit, for example,
to the low voltage sub circuit of the wake-up circuit. In other
words, the second DC/DC converter is configured to provide its
output voltage, that is, electrical energy, to the low voltage sub
circuit irrespective of the battery system (e.g., the high voltage
battery system). The low voltage sub circuit is configured to
transmit the electrical energy received from the second DC/DC
converter, which may be received via a power input of the low
voltage sub circuit, to the sub circuit on the high voltage side in
response to a received wake-up signal. The electrical energy is
transmitted across the galvanic isolation and might be transmitted
in any form, such as current, voltage, light, and/or the like. For
example, the electrical energy may be transmitted as a voltage
signal. The wake-up signal may be applied to a signal input of the
low voltage sub circuit to selectively transmit the energy
continuously provided to the low voltage sub circuit to the sub
circuit on the high voltage side. Further, in the control
electronics according to embodiments of the present invention, the
sub circuit on the high voltage side is configured to receive the
electrical energy from the low voltage sub circuit and to transmit
it to the first DC/DC converter. In some examples, the sub circuit
on the high voltage side may be configured to transmit the
electrical energy to a switching input of the DC/DC converter for
controlling the DC/DC converter. In other words, the wake-up
circuit, for example, the sub circuit on the high voltage side, is
configured to control the first DC/DC controller in response to a
wake-up signal applied to the wake-up circuit, for example, to the
sub circuit on the high voltage side, at least for a given
period.
The control electronics of the invention are thus configured to be
hybrid supplied by a battery system and by an LV battery of a
vehicle, wherein different subunits (or constituent components) of
the control electronics are supplied with power by the battery
system and/or the LV battery depending on the function of the
subunits. The microcontroller of the HV battery system is normally
supplied power from the battery system via the first DC/DC
converter, that is, not by the LV domain. The power to the wake-up
circuit is normally supplied by the LV battery. Further, the first
DC/DC converter is configured to operate during a normal mode under
the control of the microcontroller, that is, during an operation
mode of the microcontroller. However, as the first DC/DC converter
is controlled by the microcontroller, the first DC/DC converter is
configured to be switched off during the sleep mode of the
microcontroller. In the control electronics of the invention, the
first DC/DC converter can be started by galvanic energy transfer
from the low voltage sub circuit to the sub circuit on the high
voltage side of the wake-up circuit. Hence, substantially no sleep
current is consumed from the battery system and thus power
consumption of the microcontroller in sleep mode is zero or
substantially zero. The wake-up may be performed by the wake-up
circuit in response to a wake-up signal that may be applied from
the vehicle, for example, upon starting the ignition of the
vehicle. The wake-up signal may be provided to the wake-up circuit
via the second DC/DC converter, such as, a low-dropout (LDO)
regulator, or via an RTC of the control electronics.
The control electronics according to embodiments of the present
invention thus solve the challenge of the power supply of a
self-supplied battery system during the sleep mode. For a battery
system according to the related art, the first DC/DC converter from
a high voltage domain of the battery system (e.g., 400 V) is
utilized to supply the control electronics, which may be on a lower
power domain. The first DC/DC converter is even available when the
low voltage battery of the board net is not available anymore.
Therefore, the battery system could operate even without, or
independent of, the low voltage battery, which is mainly utilized
for startup. However, with such a related art configuration, the
first DC/DC converter would have very high power consumption during
the sleep mode. Further, because the supplied current is very low
in the sleep mode, the efficiency of the first DC/DC converter may
also be very low. This issue may be alleviated by bypassing the
first DC/DC converter in sleep mode, for example, via an LDO
regulator, to compensate for the poor efficiency of the first DC/DC
converter (which may, for example, be a buck, boost, or buck-boost
converter). However, in the case of a 400 V battery system, the
efficiency of an LDO regulator may be very poor. On one hand, the
voltage drop over the LDO regulator may be very high, and on the
other hand, high voltage transistors are used, which may be
expensive. The control electronics according to embodiments of the
present invention solve this by supplying the components, which are
also supplied with power during the sleep mode by the low voltage
battery of the vehicle via a second DC/DC converter. Due to the low
voltage, the power losses in the second DC/DC converter are much
less. Here, the second DC/DC converter may be an LDO regulator.
Further control electronics may be controlled by the low voltage
battery, depending on whether they are not required to fulfill
availability requirements, for example, of the automotive safety
integrity level (ASIL) B.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first
DC/DC converter is configured to generate a supply voltage for the
microcontroller based on an output voltage of the battery system.
That is, the microcontroller for controlling the battery system is
self-supplied via the battery system. However, as the
microcontroller is also configured to control the first DC/DC
converter, this configuration could not wake-up anymore once it is
in sleep mode. Hence, an external wake-up circuit may be provided.
The microcontroller may be configured to provide at least one
control function with respect to one or more battery cells of the
battery system, while receiving its supply voltage. For example,
the microcontroller may be configured to measure the voltage and/or
temperature of at least one battery cell and/or to provide active
and/or passive balancing of at least one cell.
In an embodiment of the control electronics, the wake-up circuit
includes an isolated DC/DC converter. In other words, the low
voltage sub circuit and the sub circuit on the high voltage side
form an isolated DC/DC converter, wherein the low voltage sub
circuit forms a power input stage and the sub circuit on the high
voltage side forms a power output stage of the isolated DC/DC
converter. The isolated DC/DC converter is, for example, one of a
regulated, unregulated, and semi-regulated isolated DC/DC
converter. For example, the low voltage sub circuit may include an
input stage that is configured to receive an input voltage from the
second DC/DC converter, may further include a DC/AC inverter that
is configured to receive the input voltage from the input stage and
to output an AC voltage to a first electrode of at least one
capacitor or to at least one primary winding of a transformer.
According to some examples, either the capacitor or the transformer
may realize the galvanic isolation between the low voltage sub
circuit and the sub circuit on the high voltage side. Further, the
sub circuit on the high voltage side includes an AC/DC rectifier
that is configured to receive an AC voltage from a second electrode
of the at least one capacitor or from at least one secondary
winding of the transformer and to output a DC voltage. The sub
circuit on the high voltage side further includes an output stage
that is configured to output the DC voltage received from the AC/DC
rectifier to the first DC/DC converter, for example, to a switching
input of the first DC/DC converter. However, this is just an
example embodiment and other configurations of isolated DC/DC
converter as known to the skilled person may also be utilized. The
embodiment including capacitors for galvanic isolation allows for a
highly efficient transfer of energy from the low voltage to the
high voltage side.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the sub circuit
on the high voltage side, for example, the output stage thereof, is
further configured to generate a PWM signal for controlling the
first DC/DC converter from the electrical energy received from the
low voltage sub circuit, for example, from the DC voltage received
from the AC/DC rectifier. In this embodiment, the first DC/DC
converter is a buck-, boost-, or buck-boost converter, and the PWM
signal sets the duty cycle of such a converter.
In a further embodiment, the control electronics further include a
system basis chip (SBC) which is interconnected between the first
DC/DC converter and the microcontroller. However, the SBC might
also form a part of the microcontroller. The SBC may be configured
to perform at least one of the following functions: voltage
regulation, supervision, reset generation, watchdog functions,
functions related to bus interfaces (e.g., local interface network
(LIN), CAN, SPI, and/or the like), wake-up logic functions, and
power switching functions.
In some examples, the control electronics may further include a CAN
transceiver that is supplied with electrical power via the second
DC/DC converter. For example, the CAN transceiver may be
interconnected between the output node of the second DC/DC
converter and the wake-up circuit, for example, the low voltage sub
circuit. In other words, the CAN transceiver is supplied with power
by the low voltage battery and thus also in sleep mode of the
microcontroller. The CAN transceiver is further connected to a CAN
bus and configured to perform CAN communication via the CAN bus.
For example, the CAN transceiver may be configured to receive a
wake-up signal via the CAN bus and, in response thereto, transmit
(e.g., forward) a wake-up signal to the low voltage sub circuit of
the wake-up circuit. The CAN bus may form a part of a vehicle CAN
net and hence the CAN transceiver provides the connection between
such CAN net and the control electronics. The CAN transceiver may
be further connected to the microcontroller via a CAN interface,
and thus, also provide the connection between such CAN net and the
microcontroller. For example, the microcontroller may thus be
informed of the power demands of the vehicle and may, for example,
control the power output of the battery system accordingly.
Further, the control electronics also include a real time clock
(RTC) that is supplied with power by the low voltage battery and
the second DC/DC converter, that is, via the second DC/DC
converter, and that is connected to the microcontroller via an SPI.
The real time clock may be provided as an integrated circuit (IC)
and may include a crystal oscillator or may use a power line
frequency for deriving the time scale. The RTC may be connected to
the CAN transceiver and/or to the wake-up circuit. Further, the RTC
may be supplied with power via the CAN transceiver and/or to the
wake-up circuit. Hence, the CAN transceiver may be interconnected
between the output node of the second DC/DC converter and the RTC.
In some examples, the RTC may be configured to generate a wake-up
signal and to transmit the wake-up signal to the low voltage sub
circuit of the wake-up circuit. The RTC is supplied with power via
the second DC/DC converter, even during the sleep mode of the
microcontroller. The RTC may generate the wake-up signal based on
its internal time scale.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for
supplying power to the control electronics according to the present
invention. The method may be carried out for control electronics
installed in a vehicle and connected to an HV battery system of the
vehicle and to a low voltage battery of the vehicle. In other
words, power may be supplied to control electronics of a battery
system of a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle, with a low
voltage battery. The control electronics include: a first DC/DC
converter with a first input node that is configured to be
connected to the battery system and with an output node that is
connected to a microcontroller that is configured to control the
first DC/DC converter; a wake-up circuit that includes a low
voltage sub circuit and a sub circuit on the high voltage side that
are galvanically isolated from each other; and a second DC/DC
converter that has an input node, which is configured to be
connected to the low voltage battery and an output node connected
to the wake-up circuit. The low voltage sub circuit is configured
to transmit electrical energy received from the second DC/DC
converter to the sub circuit on the high voltage side in response
to a received wake-up signal, and the sub circuit on the high
voltage side is configured to receive electrical energy from the
low voltage sub circuit and transmit it to the first DC/DC
converter.
In an active mode of the microcontroller, the method of supplying
power, according to an embodiment, includes supplying the
microcontroller with a supply voltage that is generated by the
first DC/DC converter based on an output voltage of the battery
system, and controlling the first DC/DC converter via the
microcontroller. In its active mode, the microcontroller further
performs at least one control function with respect to the battery
system, such as measurement of voltages, currents, and/or the like,
active balancing and/or passive balancing. In other words, during
an active mode of the microcontroller, the control electronics
concerned with the actual operation of the battery system are
self-supplied by the battery system.
In a sleep mode of the microcontroller, the method of supplying
power, according to an embodiment, includes supplying the low
voltage sub circuit with an input voltage that is generated by the
second DC/DC converter based on an output voltage of the low
voltage battery. Further, in a sleep mode, a CAN receiver and an
RTC of the low voltage side may be supplied with power by the low
voltage battery and the second DC/DC converter. This may also be
performed during the active mode of the microcontroller. However,
for the present invention, these actions may be mainly relevant
with respect to the sleep mode of the microcontroller. In the sleep
mode of the microcontroller, the method may further include:
transmitting electrical energy from the low voltage sub circuit to
the sub circuit on the high voltage side in response to a wake-up
signal received by low voltage sub circuit. In some examples, the
wake-up signal may be received from a board net of the vehicle, via
a CAN bus of the vehicle, from a CAN transceiver, or from an RTC.
Also, the wake-up signal may be received from ignition (e.g., from
the ignition mechanism). The wake-up signal is received, when a
wake up of the HV battery system is desired, for example, due to an
increased power demand of a load of the HV battery system, such as,
a motor of the vehicle. In some examples, a voltage received from
the second DC/DC converter is converted to AC, transmitted across
the galvanic isolation, and reconverted to DC by the sub circuit on
the high voltage side. The DC voltage may be outputted to the first
DC/DC converter and/or used to generate a control signal for the
first DC/DC converter. The control signal may be applied to a
switching input of the first DC/DC converter. In other words, the
method of supplying power during the sleep mode of the
microcontroller further includes controlling the first DC/DC
converter via the sub circuit on the high voltage side for waking
up the microcontroller, that is, for setting the microcontroller
from the sleep mode of the microcontroller to the active mode of
the microcontroller as described above.
In a further embodiment, control electronics including a CAN
transceiver that is connected to a CAN bus and/or that is connected
to the microcontroller via a CAN interface are supplied with power
by the second DC/DC converter such that the power consumption of
the first DC/DC converter for the CAN transceiver is zero. In a
further embodiment, control electronics including a real time
clock, RTC, connected to the microcontroller via an SPI are
supplied with power by the second DC/DC converter such that the
power consumption of the first DC/DC converter for the RTC is zero.
The above methods may be applied for all further electronic
components that are also used during the sleep mode of the
microcontroller, such that the power consumption of the
microcontroller is substantially zero during its sleep mode.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a battery system
that includes a plurality of battery cells that are connected in
series and/or in parallel between a ground node and a voltage
supply node. In other words, a voltage corresponding to the added
voltage of the battery cells connected in series is applied between
the ground node and the voltage supply node. The plurality of
battery cells may further include, a plurality of submodules, each
including a plurality of cells connected in parallel. The
submodules may be connected in series between the ground node and
the voltage supply node. The battery system of the invention
further includes control electronics according to embodiments of
the present invention, wherein the first input node of the first
DC/DC converter is connected to the voltage supply node.
In some embodiments, the battery system is in a vehicle and
includes control electronics including: a first DC/DC converter
with a first input node that is connected to the battery system and
with an output node that is connected to a microcontroller, which
is configured to control the first DC/DC converter; a wake-up
circuit that includes a low voltage sub circuit and a sub circuit
on the high voltage side that are galvanically isolated from each
other; and a second DC/DC converter that has an input node, which
is configured to be connected to the low voltage battery and an
output node connected to the wake-up circuit. The low voltage sub
circuit may be configured to transmit electrical energy received
from the second DC/DC converter to the sub circuit on the high
voltage side in response to a received wake-up signal, and the sub
circuit on the high voltage side may be configured to receive
electrical energy from the low voltage sub circuit and transmit it
to the first DC/DC converter. In an embodiment, the microcontroller
is configured to perform at least one control function with respect
to at least one of the plurality of battery cells.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a vehicle
including a low voltage battery and a battery system according to
an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the input node of
the second DC/DC converter is connected to the low voltage battery.
The vehicle may be an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle
including an electric motor supplied with power by the battery
system for an electric driving mode of the vehicle. In some
embodiments, the vehicle includes a low voltage battery, a battery
system including a plurality of battery cells that are connected in
series and/or in parallel between a ground node and a voltage
supply node, and control electronics including: a first DC/DC
converter with a first input node that is connected to the battery
system and with an output node that is connected to a
microcontroller, which is configured to control the first DC/DC
converter; a wake-up circuit that includes a low voltage sub
circuit and a sub circuit on the high voltage side that are
galvanically isolated from each other; and a second DC/DC converter
that has an input node, which is connected to the low voltage
battery, and an output node connected to the wake-up circuit. The
low voltage sub circuit may be configured to transmit electrical
energy received from the second DC/DC converter to the sub circuit
on the high voltage side in response to a received wake-up signal,
and the sub circuit on the high voltage side may be configured to
receive electrical energy from the low voltage sub circuit and
transmit it to the first DC/DC converter.
In an embodiment, the low voltage sub circuit and the sub circuit
on the high voltage side are galvanically isolated from each other
across a crash interface of the vehicle. The interface electrically
isolates a high voltage domain and a low voltage domain of the
vehicle. The respective domains include the respective energy
sources, that is, an LV battery and an HV battery system, and the
respective consumers (loads) operated (supplied) by the respective
energy sources. Separating the domains via the crash interface
contributes to the operative security of the vehicle and may even
be legally required for putting the vehicle on public roads. In
this embodiment, the interfaces between the HV domain and the LV
domain, that is, at least the SPI and the CAN interface as
described above, form a part of the crash interface.
Further aspects of the present invention are disclosed in the
dependent claims, the appended drawings as well as the following
detailed description of the appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Features of embodiments according to the present invention will
become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by the
description provided herein of example embodiments with reference
to the attached drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating control electronics for a
battery system of a vehicle with a low voltage battery according to
a first example embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating control electronics for a
battery system of a vehicle with a low voltage battery according to
a second example embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating control electronics for a
battery system of a vehicle with a low voltage battery according to
a third example embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a wake-up circuit according
to an example embodiment; and
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating electronic components of
a battery system of a vehicle according to an example
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of
which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Effects and
features of the exemplary embodiments, and implementation methods
thereof will be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals denote like
elements, and in the following, redundant descriptions may be
omitted. The present invention, however, may be embodied in various
forms, and should not be construed as being limited to only the
illustrated embodiments herein. Rather, these embodiments are
provided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough and
complete, and will fully convey the aspects and features of the
present invention to those skilled in the art.
Accordingly, processes, elements, and techniques that are not
considered necessary to those having ordinary skill in the art for
a complete understanding of the aspects and features of the present
invention may not be described. In the drawings, the relative sizes
of elements, layers, and regions may be exaggerated for
clarity.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of control electronics 100
for a battery system of a vehicle with a low voltage battery
according to a first embodiment. The control electronics 100 are
divided into a high voltage domain HV and a low voltage domain LV
that are separated from each other via a crash interface. The HV
domain includes a buck converter (or DC/DC converter) 10 that has
an input node (e.g., an input terminal/port) 11, which is connected
to a battery system's power output for receiving a supply voltage
VDD.sub.HV of the battery system. The buck converter 10 further
includes a switching input 13 for receiving a PWM control signal to
set the duty cycle of the buck converter 10 and an output node
(e.g., an output terminal/port) 12 for outputting the converted
voltage. The output node (e.g., an output terminal/port) 12 is
connected to an input node (e.g., an input terminal/port) 21 of a
microcontroller 20 that is configured to output a control signal to
the switching input 13 of the buck converter 10 via a control
output 22 to control the buck converter 10. During an operation
mode of the microcontroller 20, it controls the buck converter 10
such that the buck converter 10 derives the supply voltage for the
microcontroller 20 from VDD.sub.HV by setting the duty cycle. The
microcontroller 20 is further configured to perform at least one
control function with respect to the battery system, such as,
measuring of voltages or currents and balancing. Hence, the HV
domain of the control electronics 100, that is, microcontroller 20,
is self-supplied by the battery system that is controlled by the
microcontroller 20 during operation mode.
The LV domain includes an LDO regulator 40 that includes an input
node (e.g., an input terminal/port) 41 configured to be connected
to a low voltage battery of the vehicle, that is, the starter
battery of the vehicle, to receive an output voltage VDD.sub.LV
from the starter battery. The LDO regulator 40 further includes an
output node (e.g., an output terminal/port) 42 for outputting a
regulated voltage derived from VDD.sub.LV to a power input (e.g., a
power input terminal/port) 311 of a low voltage sub circuit 31 of a
wake-up circuit 30.
The wake-up circuit 30 spans across the crash interface from the
low voltage domain to the high voltage domain, as the low voltage
sub circuit 31 is disposed in the LV domain and a sub circuit on
the high voltage side 32 is disposed in the HV domain. The low
voltage sub circuit 31 and the sub circuit on the high voltage side
32 are galvanically isolated (e.g., there may be no direct
conduction path between the low voltage sub circuit 31 and the sub
circuit on the high voltage side 32). The low voltage sub circuit
31 further includes a signal input 312 that is configured to
receive a wake-up signal, for example, from a control unit of the
vehicle via a communication bus of the vehicle. A schematic
illustration of a wake-up circuit 30 is illustrated in FIG. 4.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the wake-up circuit 30 is configured as
an isolated DC/DC converter including an input stage 33, a DC/AC
inverter 34, an AC/DC rectifier 35, and an output stage 36. The
input stage 33 is configured to receive an input voltage from the
second DC/DC converter 40, and the DC/AC inverter 34 is configured
to receive the input voltage from the input stage 33 and to output
an AC voltage to first electrodes 341 and 342 of a first and second
capacitor or of a primary winding of a transformer. In the sub
circuit on the high voltage side 32, the AC/DC rectifier 35 is
configured to receive an AC voltage from second electrodes 351 and
352 of the first and second capacitor or of a secondary winding of
a transformer and to output a DC voltage, and an output stage 36 is
configured to output the DC voltage received from the AC/DC
rectifier to a switching input 13 of the buck converter 10.
The wake-up circuit 30 is configured to receive electrical energy
from the LDO regulator 40 via the low voltage sub circuit 31 and,
in response to a received wake-up signal, to transmit the
electrical energy across the galvanic isolation to the sub circuit
on the high voltage side 32. The sub circuit on the high voltage
side 32 is further configured to output the received electrical
energy, or a signal derived thereof, to the switching input 13 of
the buck converter 10. Hence, even if the buck converter 10 is not
controlled by the microcontroller 20 in a sleep mode of the
microcontroller 20, that is, in an inactive mode of the buck
converter 10, the sub circuit on the high voltage side 32 can
control the buck converter 10 to provide the supply voltage of the
microcontroller 20 derived from the battery output voltage
VDD.sub.HV to the input node (e.g., an input terminal/port) 21 of
the microcontroller 20. In response to receiving the supply power,
the microcontroller 20 wakes up and takes over control of the buck
converter 10 via the control output 22. Hence, a wake-up function
of the HV domain can be performed solely based on output of the LV
domain.
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of control electronics 100 for a
battery system of a vehicle with a low voltage battery according to
a second embodiment. Portions of the description of the second
embodiment that overlap with the description of the first
embodiment may not be repeated herein.
The control electronics 100-1 of the second embodiment differ from
the first embodiment in that the HV domain further includes a
system basis chip 50 interconnected between the buck converter 10
and the microcontroller 20. For example, an input node (e.g., an
input terminal/port) 51 of the system basis chip 50 may be
connected to the output node (e.g., an output terminal/port) 12 of
the buck converter 10, and an output node 52 (e.g., an output
terminal/port) of the system basis chip 50 may be connected to the
input node 21 of the microcontroller 20. The control electronics
100-1 of the second embodiment further differ from the first
embodiment in that the LV domain further includes a CAN transceiver
60 and a real time clock (RTC) 70.
The CAN transceiver 60 includes a power input 61 that is connected
to the output node (e.g., an output terminal/port) 42 of the LDO
regulator 40 to receive a supply voltage thereof. The CAN
transceiver 60 further includes a power output 62 that is connected
to a power input (e.g., a power input terminal/port) 311 of the low
voltage sub circuit 31 for transmitting electrical energy to the
low voltage sub circuit 31. The CAN transceiver 60 is further
connected to a CAN bus, which includes a high CAN line 64 and a low
CAN line 65 for performing communication with control units of the
vehicle or other loads. The CAN transceiver 60 further communicates
with the microcontroller 20 via a CAN interface 67 and a first I/O
interface 23 of the microcontroller 20. This allows for
communicating control signals and/or information from the vehicle,
for example, a load request from an electric motor, to the
microcontroller 20 for the microcontroller 20 to control the
battery system accordingly.
The RTC 70 includes a first I/O interface 71 and a second I/O
interface 72 that are both and individually configured to receive
and/or transmit control signals as well as supply power. In an
embodiment, the RTC 70 receives its supply power via a power output
(e.g., a power output terminal/port) 313 of the low voltage sub
circuit 31. In some examples, the RTC 70 includes an input node
(e.g., an input terminal/port) 74 that is connected to a second
output node (e.g., a second output terminal/port) 44 of the LDO
regulator 40, which supplies power to the RTC 70. The RTC 70
further communicates with the microcontroller 20 via an SPI 73 and
a second I/O interface 24 of the microcontroller 20 for providing a
clock signal to the microcontroller 20. The control electronics
100-1 of FIG. 2 further differ from those of FIG. 1 in that the
electrical energy is received by the low voltage sub circuit 31
from the LDO regulator 40 via the CAN transceiver 60.
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of control electronics 100-2 for
a battery system of a vehicle with a low voltage battery according
to a third embodiment. Portions of the description of the second
embodiment that overlap with the description of the first
embodiment may not be repeated herein.
Control electronics 100-2 of FIG. 3 differ from those of FIG. 2 in
that the CAN transceiver 60 includes two power outputs 62 and is,
via one of these power outputs, also connected to the RTC 70.
Hence, the RTC 70 can be supplied with power by the CAN transceiver
60 or a power output 313 of the low voltage sub circuit 31. In some
examples, the RTC 70 includes an input node (e.g., an input
terminal/port) 74 that is connected to a second output node (e.g.,
a second output terminal/port) 44 of the LDO regulator 40, which
supplies power to the RTC 70, then the power output 62 of the CAN
transceiver can be used to transmit and/or receive signals via the
SPI 73 that is used commonly with the RTC 70. Further, the low
voltage sub circuit 31 can also be supplied with power redundantly
by the CAN transceiver 60 or the RTC 70, such that power output 313
could also be a power input of the low voltage sub circuit 31.
Control electronics 100-2 of FIG. 3 further differ from those of
FIG. 2 in that the CAN transceiver 60 is connected to a ground line
via a respective ground node (e.g., a respective ground terminal)
66 and in that the LDO regulator 40 is connected to the same ground
line via a respective ground node (e.g., a respective ground
terminal) 43. The ground node can also be utilized for diagnostic
purposes, for example, for controlling the function of the LDO
regulator 40 and/or the CAN transceiver 60.
FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a battery system electronics
200 of a vehicle, according to an embodiment, that includes the
control electronics 100 for a battery system according to the first
embodiment. The battery system electronics 200 include a plurality
of battery cells 210 electrically connected in series and/or in
parallel between a first stack node (e.g., a voltage supply node)
211 and a second stack node (e.g., a ground node) 212. The first
stack node 211 is a power output of the battery system for
providing a high voltage supply voltage VDD, for example, 48 V. The
second stack node 212 is at ground potential. The input node (e.g.,
an input terminal/port) 11 of the first DC/DC converter 10 is
connected to the first stack node 211 and receives a 48 V high
voltage supply voltage VDD.
The electronic or electric devices and/or any other relevant
devices or components according to embodiments of the present
invention described herein may be implemented utilizing any
suitable hardware, firmware (e.g. an application-specific
integrated circuit), software, or a combination of software,
firmware, and hardware. For example, the various components of
these devices may be formed on one integrated circuit (IC) chip or
on separate IC chips. Further, the various components of these
devices may be implemented on a flexible printed circuit film, a
tape carrier package (TCP), a printed circuit board (PCB), or
formed on one substrate. The electrical connections or
interconnections described herein may be realized by wires or
conducting elements, for example, on a PCB and/or another kind of
circuit carrier. The conducting elements may include metallization,
for example, surface metallizations and/or pins, and/or may include
conductive polymers or ceramics. Further electrical energy might be
transmitted via wireless connections, for example, using
electromagnetic radiation and/or light.
Further, the various components of these devices may be a process
or thread, running on one or more processors, in one or more
computing devices, executing computer program instructions and
interacting with other system components for performing the various
functionalities described herein. The computer program instructions
are stored in a memory which may be implemented in a computing
device using a standard memory device, such as a random access
memory (RAM). The computer program instructions may also be stored
in other non-transitory computer readable media such as a CD-ROM,
flash drive, or the like.
It will be understood that, although the terms "first", "second",
"third", etc., may be used herein to describe various elements,
components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements,
components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited
by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element,
component, region, layer or section from another element,
component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element,
component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed
a second element, component, region, layer or section, without
departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive concept.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the
inventive concept. As used herein, the singular forms "a" and "an"
are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood
that the terms "include," "including," "comprises," and/or
"comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence
of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or
components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or
more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,
components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term
"and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the
associated listed items.
For the purposes of this disclosure, "at least one of X, Y, and Z"
and "at least one selected from the group consisting of X, Y, and
Z" may be construed as X only, Y only, Z only, or any combination
of two or more of X, Y, and Z, such as, for instance, XYZ, XYY, YZ,
and ZZ.
Further, the use of "may" when describing embodiments of the
inventive concept refers to "one or more embodiments of the
inventive concept." Also, the term "exemplary" is intended to refer
to an example or illustration.
It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to
as being "on", "connected to", "coupled to", or "adjacent" another
element or layer, it can be directly on, connected to, coupled to,
or adjacent the other element or layer, or one or more intervening
elements or layers may be present. When an element or layer is
referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to",
"directly coupled to", or "immediately adjacent" another element or
layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present.
As used herein, the terms "use," "using," and "used" may be
considered synonymous with the terms "utilize," "utilizing," and
"utilized," respectively.
As used herein, the term "substantially," "about," and similar
terms are used as terms of approximation and not as terms of
degree, and are intended to account for the inherent deviations in
measured or calculated values that would be recognized by those of
ordinary skill in the art. Further, if the term "substantially" is
used in combination with a feature that could be expressed using a
numeric value, the term "substantially" denotes a range of +/-5% of
the value centered on the value. Also, a person of skill in the art
should recognize that the functionality of various computing
devices may be combined or integrated into a single computing
device, or the functionality of a particular computing device may
be distributed across one or more other computing devices without
departing from the scope of the present invention, which is defined
by the following claims and equivalents thereof.
LISTING OF SOME OF THE REFERENCE NUMBERS
10 first DC/DC converter 11 input node 12 output node 13 switching
input 20 microcontroller 21 input node 22 control output 23 first
I/O interface 24 second I/O interface 30 wake-up circuit 31 low
voltage sub circuit 311 power input 312 signal input 313 power
output node 32 sub circuit on the high voltage side 33 input stage
34 DC/AC converter 341 first electrode of first capacitor 342 first
electrode of second capacitor 351 second electrode of first
capacitor 352 second electrode of second capacitor 35 AC/DC
rectifier 36 output stage 40 second DC/DC converter 41 input node
42 output node 43 ground node 44 second output node 50 system basis
chip 51 input node 52 output node 60 CAN transceiver 61 power input
62 power output 63 signal I/O interface 64 high CAN line 65 low CAN
line 66 ground node 67 CAN interface 70 real time clock 71 first
I/O interface 72 second I/O interface 73 SPI 74 input node 80 low
voltage battery 200 battery system electronics 210 battery cell 211
first stack node 212 second stack node
* * * * *